~~~~~

Lee

~~~~~

"...lizards returned the same day that the bluehead army showed up, and we've been trapped in this stalemate ever…"

Lee briefly stopped listening as he pulled the Runes from one of the formerly enslaved people's newly transformed Freedom collars, and Mana dragged her through the gate. He could have just lifted her over the wall, but that might be too much. "I hope you'll appreciate this later," Lee thought. Especially since he had just stripped her freedom away, and after she had only just regained it.

The woman had spotted Bradley approaching the gate behind them and panicked. More specifically, she had spotted the lizard monster walking ahead of Bradley. She took off sprinting, and none of the guards could physically restrain her from running into the wilderness while she wore the collar.

Lee could see a communication disc on one of the guards and tapped the corresponding symbol on his own disc as he deposited the woman in front of him. "Take her to the healers." He hoped that would help… and, for good measure, also removed the now defunct metal band from her neck.

Bradley had stopped when he saw the commotion, and his prisoners stopped with him. The lizard of its own volition, and the bluehead because it had no other choice from where it dangled, unconscious and with Bradley's hand around its throat.

The influx of freed humans continued, and Lee looked at Alejandro. "A slight change of subject, but do you know why Trak is groveling outside my door?"

"Ummm… no?" Alejandro said with visible confusion. "The Anubi have all been helping immensely while you were gone."

"It's time to deal with this," Lee thought, deciding that he'd gotten enough of a history lesson from Alejandro.

They had found slave trading camps, far too many of them, and way too close by. They then proceeded to do precisely what Lee would have hoped for and liberated everyone they possibly could. Unfortunately, a random attack by a handful of lizards had resulted in the lizards acquiring one of the collars, an eventuality that Lee would have been perfectly content with, especially since no one actually died if they hadn't then returned with an army to claim more! "Fucking bastards!" They could have probably just asked for collars, or hell used the one they'd stolen to easily create more from the likely still active slave camps somewhere out there.

Especially considering that the damn blueheads had shown up with so many collared humans…

Lee was still fuming as he reached out with [Mana Mind] to open the door, but Three beat him to it. The door opened, and Trak trembled where he lay bent over, the top of his head resting on the ground between his hands. Lee could feel the guilt and remorse heavy upon the small Anubi, with some measure of fear to boot, but he didn't understand why. Had the Anubi been involved with Wilson somehow? He checked his [Minor Lord] Title and found Trak's name still listed with the other Anubi who had sworn to him, so that wasn't it…

"Trak, stand up," Lee said, and after taking a breath in an attempt to calm down, he strode to the groveling Anubi, "and tell me what's wrong."

"Forgive me, My Lord!" Trak somehow seemed to bow even lower.

"For what?" Lee asked and then glanced at Alejandro and Gabriel, who seemed as stumped as he was.

"Please spare my pack! I will take the punishment, I beg of you!"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I failed to fight your enemies when they captured you, My Lord! I ordered my pack to surrender to preserve their lives!"

"Oh…" Lee felt relieved. That wasn't a big…

"My pack only followed my orders, My Lord. Please spare them!"

"Trak…" Lee was getting increasingly uncomfortable having someone groveling before him, "would you fucking stand up already! That's an or…" Lee choked back the words as he remembered the feeling of being helplessly yanked around by the elf's commands. Instead, he sat on the floor in front of Trak.

Lee did have a momentary flash of suspicion that this might be all a ruse, just to get within reach… but Trak was still D ranked, and Lee was pretty sure that he could defeat the Anubi with his bare hands if it came to that. It was only paranoia, and his [Mana Mind] showed clearly that the Anubi had nothing on his person other than his clothes. "Not everyone is out to get me…"

"Trak, I'm pretty sure that I remember all of you helping when the elves tried to kill the…" Lee clenched his teeth in renewed anger and moved on. "What else could you have done to help? Seriously. Did you have a potion to break the collar?"

"I should have tried…"

"And more importantly," Lee said, over Trak's weak protestations, "why are you being weird again? Was I gone too long, and you turned me into a legend in your mind?" That reminded Lee of his Title… "Trak is going to lose his shit if I tell him that I got that Title." In fact, Trak might have already overheard that bit of info through the door when Lee told Alejandro about it, and if he hadn't, Lee would have to tell him anyway. He would have to tell everyone that a target had been put on his back, though, maybe not the exact specifics. But that could come later. For now, he wanted Trak to chill out again.

"What happened to the Trak who berated me for acting recklessly?" Lee asked, and the Anubi trembled again, then opened his mouth. Lee cut him off before he could grovel further, "Why aren't you telling me off for being stupid enough to get ambushed? For allowing Wilson to betray all of us? Why aren't you calling me a fool for nearly losing everything!?" Lee shouted… because he had been a fool! "So close! We came so close to…"

Alejandro stopped behind Lee, a hand coming to rest on his shoulder." It wasn't your fault, Lee. It was Wilson who made that choice." Lee wanted to argue, wanted to scream… but what did it matter now? Yes, it sucked ass! But it was in the past. All he could do now was learn from it… and be better going forward. Sure, how hard could that be…

Lee had enough of looking at the back of Trak's head and reached out. His hands closed over the small shoulders and then slipped off the moment he tried to grip the Anubi…

The Runes in Trak's collar dimmed ever so slightly before immediately brightening again. It happened so fast that Lee would have thought he imagined it if not for the fact that he clearly saw and felt the Mana move from himself into [Absolute Freedom] at the same time that the collar sent a pulse to recharge Trak's [Freedom] collar.

"It's all good, Trak. I forgive you and your pack. All's well that ends well. Now get up already! Also, I might need to borrow your amulet…" The last statement finally got Trak to move, and the Anubi sat up immediately. He had the amulet off and held out a heartbeat later.

Lee blocked him from bowing again as he took the necklace. "What's really wrong, Trak? I haven't changed… other than ranking up."

"I felt your power," Trak finally said, all while refusing to meet Lee's gaze.

"Oh… right, that." Lee sighed internally.

"I have never felt such before," Trak continued, "but I know what it is…" He stared at the floor and whispered, "it is the power of the gods…"

"I did what I had to," Lee said, trying not to think about it too much, and stood up, a weak smile on his lips. "Plus, I thought you wanted to follow me to the heavens?"

Trak seemed to flounder for a moment, and then Lee felt him relax marginally. "That is just what one says," he whispered, "I didn't think you meant it literally!"

"I try to be a man of my word," Lee held a hand out to Trak, "I would welcome your help if you are still willing…" Trak only hesitated a moment before taking the proffered hand and rising.

"Stick around here for now," Lee said, "I might need your insight during the interrogation… and I want to talk with you about… oaths." This talk had reminded Lee of unpleasant events, but it had given him a new idea for the future. "But first," Lee looked at the recent Notifications he'd been ignoring.

Residents of [Greenfield Village Fort] Human(4943) Anubi(15)

Non-Residents within [Greenfield Village Fort]: Human(98)

Lee had watched the number tick upward as the recently freed humans trickled through the gate. He sent a probing thought at the Notification, more of an experiment than anything, but it worked as he'd hoped.

All Non-Resident Humans Invited to Join [Greenfield Village Fort]

The number ticked back down while the current Resident number ticked up alongside it. When it hit five thousand, a new notification popped up.

Population of [Greenfield Village Fort] has exceeded the Requirements for upgrade to [Town] Status. All other Requirements met. [Greenfield Village Fort] Upgraded to [Greenfield Village Fort-Town].

New Command Ranks Available.

You now have the option to Appoint a (Mayor) to Oversee any Non-Military Residents.

Buff Removed: [Greenfield Village Fort]

Buff Gained: [Greenfield Village Fort-Town]

Not all of the invitees agreed to join… Lee considered marking them, but apparently, his role as Fort Commander allowed him to know on sight whether someone was a resident or not and their rank if they were. [Mana Mind] seemed to count as seeing them, so it was easy enough to keep track. He wouldn't kick them out immediately, not after what they'd been through to get here, but they would have to choose at some point.

Everyone would have to choose…

"Alejandro…" Lee started to ask about their non-combatant personnel, "Nevermind. We'll talk later."

Bradley strolled through the gate and approached Three with a large number of the guards in escort around him. Whether there was any point in D ranks trying to restrain C ranks… "Three, can you lay low for now? I don't want them to know what you are capable of… just in case. Of course, if they try to attack me, then kill the shit out of them." Three didn't respond, but Lee thought that he felt… something. Maybe a glimmer of understanding? Or agreement? Probably about killing the shit out of them… and hopefully only if they tried something.

To his delight, Jamaal was also approaching and climbing the last of the stairs with something in his hands… Lee's stomach rumbled as he met the man at the doorway. "Jamaal, is that what I think it is?"

"Lee! I mean, Commander… I am so glad that Gabriel was right about you returning!" he exclaimed and held out a plate, one of Lee's old summoned plates from the looks of it, and steaming lightly on the plate was a glorious burrito! "...and you couldn't have come at a better time!"

Lee accepted the plate with a huge smile and inhaled the delicious aroma as his stomach rumbled again. "Jamaal, you're truly the best!" Lee stuffed one corner into his mouth, and it was every bit as good as he expected. "Trak," Lee spoke around the mouthful, "if you were really worried, you should have just brought me one of these, and I would have forgiven anything!"

Trak still seemed a bit rattled, but he managed to get out a reply, "I… My Lord, I was… unprepared…"

"I would be happy to teach him," Jamaal said, "though I am afraid that is the last of our bacon. I was able to preserve it with one of my Skills and was waiting for a special occasion. I felt that this qualified as such." He was beaming, and his Soul mirrored the expression, covering up most of the fear and exhaustion beneath but not all of it.

Lee lost some of his cheer at the reminder, and his anger grew just a little hotter at the thought of having no bacon to eat.

The captured Invaders moved inside, and Three didn't attack either of them as the lizard strode confidently into the center of the courtyard ahead of Bradley, who tossed the bluehead onto the concrete next to the lizard.

"Kneel," Bradley ordered, in a voice that carried easily up to Lee's apartment.

Lee felt reluctance from the lizard, but nevertheless, it dropped to its knees as Bradley's stone armor flowed from his body and wrapped both of them in rocky restraints while propping the still unconscious but slowly stirring bluehead up onto its knees, more or less. Then more stone appeared from Bradley's Mana and started covering his body once again.

Outside the building, Bradley must have given orders because the fighters were gathering on the walls to watch the enemies still in the distance. It was unnecessary, of course, Lee was watching all of them, and none of the monsters would be able to even try anything without him noticing. Meanwhile, more of the humans were rushing toward Three.

"It's time for answers," Lee said, then walked out the door onto the courtyard balcony.

Anger reignited as Lee got his first look at the monsters using his eyes, his hands clenching tight around the metal railing as he looked down at the monsters two floors below. He could feel the power of Three deep within the metal in his hands and could feel it in the building all around them. Though see might be a better description since Three seemed to be following his request, and the power was quiescent… but watching and aware.

As for the monsters, Lee agreed with the naming. "Very blue heads…" he thought and considering the rather… prominent nature of the body part, a good choice of name.

The lizard, for its part, was more enormous than he'd pictured, even though he'd seen Bradley alongside it. But here inside the building, it stood easily a head taller than the Humans and was wider as well. Its skin, or rather scales, were a dull greenish-brown and covered it head to toe. Eyes of bright, nearly glowing yellow stared up at him as Lee looked them over.

"You are the one who bested me." It spoke in a deep hissing rasp, but Lee understood, probably because the amulet did its job to translate.

Lee met those eyes with his own hostile gaze and decided to keep things simple. Since the blue head was still mostly unconscious, Lee started the questions with the lizard. "Why are you attacking my Fort?" Lee growled out.

"We first came to hunt and battle, but afterward, we fought to claim… the collars, Fort Commander, I assume?"

Lee had expected as much, given what Alejandro had told him. But he didn't like it. The monsters were treating his home like a Dungeon full of loot to be farmed, granted this system basically branded the humans as such. But these creatures were intelligent and had reasoning, so what kind of monsters would attack and kill other intelligent beings for nothing more than loot? Of course, that was a terrible question for a human to ask…

The lizard continued, "I did not expect that the creator of such artifacts would be in this small place, else we would not have dared."

Lee glared at it. Was that supposed to make it better? We only attacked because no one could stop us.

"Nor did I expect that the creator was a human, and only a D ranked one at that."

It most likely has felt him Rank up earlier… given how much the other C Ranks stood out in his senses. Listening to it talk, however, made Lee want to hurt this creature more… but that could wait until it stopped cooperating.

"How did you get here?" Another thing he wanted to know. "There was no Invasion."

"By chance, Commander. My clutch and I came to this world at random. After which, we stumbled upon your Fort, and I was intrigued by the fact that we could gain no kills against the weak humans. Once I obtained one of the collars and saw the value of what was here, I came back to gather more… and was driven away by your General, a truly formidable opponent and an honorable one as well!"

Lee couldn't see Bradley's face under the stone that covered him from head to toe, but he could feel the man also glaring at the lizard. And given that Bradley seemed to understand it, the monster must have a spell or ability that translated for it… Lee couldn't pick it out from the dense tangle of Mana within the lizard. He couldn't see much of anything below its skin or scales, and Lee felt slightly wary but knew he would be able to detect if it tried to activate any skills or abilities.

Only slightly worried, though. Three was watching the intruders very closely. Lee could sense that much. And after crushing this creature so quickly at a distance, Lee did not fear it at all in here. This was his domain, his and Three's more precisely, and Lee had a solid feeling that his [Mana Mind] would be even more overbearing with his targets trapped in here. The difference might actually be enough that he would be able to physically break the lizard's body if necessary…

The lizard kept talking, "I retreated and sent the call for more to come, with a message of the rewards to be obtained here." It glanced at the bluehead, "But when the Arbresta arrived, I was forced to…"

Mana Saturation of (Earth) has surpassed (D Rank) Threshold. Rank Up.

[Dungeon(Earth)](C Rank)

Prepare to Defend the Dungeon! Fight!

Mana Capacitors Depleted. (Earth) Progression Rate Reduced.

Lee didn't even have time to process the Notification before fear slammed into him like a bolt of lightning…

Twin-Soul(Source) is Burning your Body and Mind. -10 All Base Attributes per One Second

"Stanley!" The surge of power faded as fast as it appeared, and Lee saw Bradley moving to take down the monsters as he stumbled back from the railing. Alejandro and Trak both jumped in front of him, and Gabriel activated a RuneScape that summoned a shield over all three of them. Lee abandoned the sudden cacophony in the courtyard and pulled his mind down into their Soul. He wasn't worried about the monsters inside the building at the moment, not since Three had become stronger than ever before. No, right now, he was much more worried about his twin.

Lee appeared within the Soul Fortress, and Stanley faded into view a moment later.

His brother was calmer now, fear dwindling lower moment by moment as they reunited. Stanley hugged him, and Lee was able to keep enough of a touch on his [Mana Mind] that he could see what was happening back in the Fort. And even though it was a bit harder to see the details, he could see enough to know that it was under control.

Stanley told him what had happened, and Lee held back his anger, partly because he was instantly curious to try out his own abilities after hearing that he only lost a fraction of what his twin did, in regards to Attributes at least. Whether it was because Lee was more resistant to the Source somehow, or even if it was only that they would damage the other less than themselves, either way, it would make things easier.

The real problem to come from this would be if it was like Stanley thought, an actual targeted and intentional attack on him, but neither of them knew if that was possible. Though, Lee did have a couple of monsters waiting to be interrogated who might just know that information…

He eventually left Stanley there and brought his full attention back to the situation in the courtyard, both relieved at Stanley's escape from whatever it had been and even more enraged that these fuckers kept attacking them!

Bradley had the monsters bound almost entirely in solid stone, while Mar and Maria each stood with Runed blades at their throats. Even Saira had come in, a trail of vines running from her, leading both back outside and also further in to hover menacingly around the monsters.

Lee nodded to Gabriel as he stepped forward, and the shield around them vanished. "I'm okay," Lee said, not to anyone in particular, but more in an attempt to reduce the fear in the air as he moved back up to the railing and studied the two alien creatures below.

The bluehead was awake now and staring up at Lee with a venomous glare and just a hint of… triumph? Well, at least that was what its Soul felt like. He couldn't read any expression on its alien face.

More strangely, the lizard seemed amused… and happier than it had been before.

"I truly never had a chance!" the lizard exclaimed, and it took Lee a second to puzzle through before he thought he understood.

It felt better about losing… now that it knew Lee had the Source. Which meant they had all felt it… and in light of very recent events, that brought up a brand new problem. Though maybe one that could be solved…

"You never told me how you got to Earth, so continue!" Lee demanded, glaring at both of them in turn.

"I came with an [Open World Key]," the lizard replied without fuss.

"Explain." Lee had seen a Dungeon Key once before, but not like that.

"Of course, Fort Commander. I was hatched on an S Rank world where there is nothing for us to hunt, and the only way to advance is to trade for D grade Cores or go off-world. Every Clutch is given a key and sent to a random world where we either grow through battle or we die. It is a one-way trip, and we are not permitted to return until reaching a high enough Rank."

Open world keys… that was something new and worrying. But it did mean that the lizards hadn't been targeting him, at least not before they arrived, though… "How did you call for reinforcements if it is one way?"

"A beacon," it said, and Lee was already scouring through both alien camps with his [Mana Mind] before it said another word, "not exactly reinforcements, but a signal that says 'good battle and good treasure' can be found here. Others may choose to follow, or may not."

There were a lot of Mana-rich items in their camp, from clothing and armor to weapons and other oddities, but one thing did stand out once he was looking for it.

A cylinder maybe two feet tall and a foot wide, with an enchantment swirling through it. The device was pulsing ever so faintly, but there was no signal traveling away from it that he could see or sense… "Unless it isn't traveling through space, but through… what, dimensions?" He found a similar, if not identical, device in the bluehead camp, and that decided it for him.

Lee yanked on the Mana inside the device, attempting to break it in half, and failed miserably, but luckily the enchantment was not so durable and broke down immediately as the Mana was ripped from it. Lee did the same to the other device.

Apparently, it wasn't a quiet process as the item shook violently under his attention and sent the single lizard sprinting away from the camp with a bottle of something in hand. It ran back to the rest of its army rather than trying to escape, and Lee let it go. He had been watching it earlier, waiting to make an example if it was trying to escape, but it was only after the bottle.

Lee knew that it wasn't a healing potion simply because he'd already found the Anubi's potions around the Fort, and the bottle the lizard carried held nowhere near the Mana concentration of a potion. It slid to its knees among the others, took a drink from the bottle, and passed it to another. "Is it alcohol?" Lee wondered. They all seemed entirely too unbothered by the situation… and Lee resisted the urge to torture them.

Lee did drag both of the alleged beacons back to Three, drawing some commotion from the guards as they flew over the walls and down into the courtyard. "Are these your Beacons?" Lee asked while Bradley talked on his disc to calm the guards.

"Yes," the lizard responded, seeming relatively calm about it.

The bluehead didn't reply, still glaring hatefully at Lee. "I asked you a question," Lee growled at it.

"I don't negotiate with monsters," the bluehead finally spoke, and its voice mainly sounded normal, albeit in an unknown language behind the translation. "I would speak with your Master instead."

"My… what?" Lee felt like he'd missed something.

"Do not take me for a fool," the bluehead said, with condescension dripping from its Soul, "I am not so simple-minded as these lizards…"

"We are not lizards!" the lizard roared back, actually sounding upset for the first time, "we are the mighty Skirathian!"

The bluehead ignored the outburst and continued, "I know that the only way for a new monster, a D rank no less, to have access to a Source is that someone has granted you a Tether." It smiled then, or rather, that was the feeling Lee got from its Soul. "So tell me who your master is, and I will deal with them. Or I will petition the Divine System, and you will face its wrath along with whoever is interfering by giving you this power!"

"A… Source Tether?" Was that a thing? And what would that look like? Could Lee give someone a Source Tether? Although… just thinking about it made Lee suddenly aware that he already had given one, and without even realizing it at the time. He had given a Tether to Three at some point. Lee assumed during the evolution to D Rank since that made the most sense. He wasn't sure how he hadn't noticed or thought of it before, considering that he could clearly sense the Source running throughout the building… and yet no one else had sensed it either… it was something to test, but later.

Meanwhile, and more currently, this piece of shit thought someone was helping them with just such a Tether… Lee didn't bother correcting the idiot. Besides, hadn't the message on that first day mentioned something about suspected interference? And had found none… and the elf had mentioned petitioning the system over the same thing.

"What is your name, Li… Skirathian?" Lee asked the lizard, ignoring the bluehead. He was feeling slightly less hostile towards this one at the moment, probably because of the contrast to the other…

"I am called SitheraKiltarSitckitchaSkirathian," Lee could swear it was mocking him… "But you may call me Sith, Commander Cascade."

"How do you know my name?" Lee asked though he had a sneaking suspicion…

"The Collar," Sith confirmed his suspicion and continued, "When someone creates an Artifact of sufficient skill or power, the system places their name upon said Artifact for all to know of them."

Lee remembered his name being on his original collar, and there had been a mention of the Source… but he had never checked the others. "Gabriel," Lee turned, "can I see your collar…"

Trak had his own collar off before Lee even finished saying the word and thrust it into his hand before Gabriel could respond.

[Freedom](Linked)

A former Collar of Enslavement, this Item has been Subverted by the Linked Runic Legendary [Absolute Freedom] and become Anathema to Its former Purpose.

Charge: 100%

Equipped Effects:

Immune to All Movement Impairing Effects.

Immune to All Mental Impairing Effects.

Instantly Transports User to Safe Location at Will of Wearer When Charge is Over 40%.

Instantly Transports User to a Safe Location on Imminent Death and Places Into Stasis until Charge Depletes or Status Improves.

Retaliation against any Active Control Bands Within 100 Meters.

Subverts Any Enslavement Collar Within 100 Meters. Speed of Subversion based on Proximity and Charge.

All Subverted Collars Will Gain Full Effects Over Time based on Proximity to Linked Runic Legendary [Absolute Freedom].

It didn't mention his name anywhere… Lee focused on the mention of [Absolute Freedom], and…

[Absolute Freedom](Runic Legendary)(Linked)

A former Collar of Enslavement, this Item has been Subverted by the [Runic](Lee Cascade) and become Anathema to Its former Purpose.

Enslaved Rejoice! For a New Creation has been Born!

Enslavers Tremble! For a New Creation has been Born!

Lee sighed in relief. It didn't mention the Source unless he looked directly at the actual collar… Maybe it was protecting his trade secrets by not telling people how he'd done it? If what Stanley said was true, then that was a very good thing. But it still left him with the monsters before him…

"So…" Lee looked back and forth between the two aliens, one that came to hunt and kill them for their oh-so-precious loot, while the other was a slaver that didn't even want to speak to a so-called monster.

Lee wanted to just kill them all and be done with it… but would that make him the real monster? Or was there another way…

"I can't allow any of you to go running off spreading what you've seen here," Lee said slowly, "so before I kill you, I have an offer. You and every one of your minions, troops, allies, whatever you want to call them, all of you swear fealty to me."

Lee felt both of them react to his statement, the lizard with trepidation and the bluehead with revulsion.

"You will swear never to betray me or my secrets." Even some of his fellow humans felt uncomfortable, though whether it was due to Lee demanding oaths of fealty, or the idea of not killing the monsters that had been haunting them for so long, Lee didn't know. "You will serve me and my interests. Or you will die!"

The silence stretched after his statement, and Lee was just about to open his mouth again when the bluehead broke the silence. "Do you seriously think I am bluffing? When there is literally no downside for me destroying you and your master? I can petition the Divine System faster than you can kill me!"

"I do not care about your useless threats," Lee spat, "your options are the same. Yield or die!"

"Fool!" the bluehead exclaimed and then spasmed its way back into unconsciousness when Lee stabbed it in the head and Core once again with [Mana Mind].

Lee smiled to see it shut up and noted that it was indeed much easier to break through their defenses when they were inside Three, either because they were weakened in here or because Three was able to provide more assistance.

Then Lee turned his gaze to the lizard. "What is your decision?"

Sith was looking at the slumped bluehead, and Lee could still feel hesitation in its Soul as it answered, "the Civilized one is an arrogant brat… but they did not lie about the threat. If you are indeed receiving outside assistance…"

"His… or Its, threats are useless," Lee cut him off, "I have no Master… but I can wait." Lee decided against explaining why for now. Besides, if the claim of being able to act faster than Lee could kill it was true, then they would find out for sure whether Lee was right. Instead, he could ask more questions while they waited for the bluehead to wake up. And for starters…

"So that is a Civilized race?" Lee asked, with a nod toward the bluehead, not impressed in the slightest, "and are you?"

"The Skirathian are not labeled as such, but the Arabrest are," Sith nodded, "and they will never let any forget it with the way they go on about 'Divine System' this and 'Holy System' that. Thinking themselves so much better despite being no different."

"What's the difference then?"

"Very little," Sith hissed, "the biggest being that they cannot absorb Cores, a fact they love to claim makes them more civilized, and yet they still gain power through killing… The other important difference is that their worlds are more difficult to attack than ours. If you kill that one and it drops a Key, then you will see what I mean."

"About that," Lee said, "tell me about the open world Key."

"It is as it sounds. A Key, usually with limited charges, and…" Sith shrugged, "the one my clutch received had five charges for a random D Rank Dungeon and no more. If used by up to five at the same time, then it will send them all together to a random location, but no more than five that I have ever heard of. I have also heard of open keys that target specific worlds, but they are much more difficult to acquire."

"Do you have to be D Rank to use it?" Lee asked, "and if it's random, then how does the beacon work?"

"Not exactly," Sith answered, "being lower ranked than the Dungeon is no problem, but if you are higher, the System will reduce you down to the average of the world you are attempting to enter. As for the beacon, we'll… it narrows down the randomness somewhat, and more importantly, it makes it more likely that others will even come to this world."

"It…" Lee thought about what Sith was saying and then did a rough count of how many lizards were outside. "It doesn't send more than five at once?"

"No, not the ones we are given, at least."

"But there are hundreds of you out there!"

"There are… many of us," Sith said, sounding proud. "Like all who are named as monsters, we also reproduce quickly. Rather than attempt to raise up everyone, we are scattered to every corner of the Multiverse, and though the weak will fall, the strongest will grow and one day return to defend the homeworld."

"Harsh," Lee thought but was interrupted from further ruminating when the bluehead moaned as it struggled back to awareness, and the lizard paused the explanations to watch as it finally lifted its head.

"You will regret…" the bluehead's voice trailed off, and the pitch-black eyes widened, "Impossible! There must be a mistake…" Lee could feel the shock in its Soul quite clearly. Even Sith was surprised, and those yellow eyes swiveled back to regard Lee.

"There is no mistake," Lee said with only some anger and just a bit of enjoyment, "and now you have to choose. Bend the knee or die."

"To serve a Monster?" The bluehead stared up at him, and revulsion grew inside it. "No Arbresta would ever debase themselves in such a way!"

"Yet you come here with humans in collars and expect me just to roll over?"

"It is as the Divine wills. Monsters only exist to serve the Civilized races, and all this trouble you have caused, all the useless struggle, it only makes things harder for you in the long run."

"Then you have chosen death," Lee said and honestly preferred it that way. Only desperation had led him to even make the offer of servitude to these monsters. Alejandro had told him enough of what they'd seen from these creatures and their trading camps. Tales of breeding the Humans, of sending them through portals to who knew where. Much better to simply kill them all.

Lee was not surprised when the bluehead tried to attack him. He'd been expecting it. But he was slightly surprised when it vanished from Bradley's restraints and reappeared directly next to Lee. "Teleportation!" He was also not expecting the wand that appeared from nowhere into the bluehead's hand, the tip inches from Lee's head and magic blooming at the end.

It was still useless, of course. Lee was already turning the wand away from himself as he tore it from the bluehead's hand and scrambled the power flowing through the creature before it could do anything. But even that much was unnecessary.

The railing under his hands shifted the instant that the bluehead appeared. Dozens of spikes impaled and immobilized the blue alien throughout its body, with one significant spike going directly through its head.

"It's still alive…" Lee noted with some surprise, as its mouth let out a faint…

Then the spike running through its head sprouted thorns. Hundreds of thorns, in every direction.

"Well, now it's dead," Lee thought, as he felt a mist of its blood and brains sprinkle over his face.

The hedgehog that was its head slowly shivered, then crumbled and dropped to the ground atop the wet pile of its corpse on the balcony floor as Three retracted the railing back to its original shape. But Three did not return to quiescence afterward, it had shown itself, and everyone could feel the power that surrounded them now.

Lee looked down at the lizard and knew that it had not realized just where it stood until this moment. Now it understood that it had strolled freely into the belly of something beyond all of them, and there would be absolutely no escape.

Outside, the bluehead army had visibly reacted to the death of their leader. Likely someone had just been promoted to become the new Commander, or however their ranks worked. Someone else who could surrender the army and swear fealty…

Lee only entertained the idea for a heartbeat. He didn't want them to join, didn't want them to live… He regretted even offering the deal to the first one. They had enslaved humans! Dragged them along on their attack to try and claim even more!

The lizards, on the other hand… "Bring Sith to the tower," Lee ordered Bradley and then met the gaze of said lizard. "You can observe the cost of defiance while considering your future." Then Lee turned and headed up the stairs. He strode ahead of Alejandro and Gabriel, ahead of Bradley's soldiers as they scrambled to follow. Lee feared nothing in here, not with Three's power on full display.

Faint patterns pulsed in and out of visibility across every surface of the building as Lee moved through it. As he went, Lee dumped Mana from his pool into Three. There was something he wanted to test, and this seemed like an excellent opportunity.

Lee had only 5% Mana in his pool when he reached the top of the tower and looked out over the enemy forces in the distance. Even from this range, his eyes could pick out individuals in the army of blueheads, and Lee lifted a finger as Sith was dragged into the room behind him.

Liquid Mana Beam was not tagged as requiring Source… so Lee activated it.

The snap of burning air settled into a crackling, roaring, thunder. Akin to the sound of a rocket blasting its way toward the stars, as the beam of blue-white power speared across the vast distance and disintegrated the bluehead who seemed to be giving orders to the others. It then tore a burning line through the army as the force of the blasting Mana threw off Lee's aim, and he was forced to use [Mana Mind] to hold his arm steady until the raging flood subsided.

It felt eerily quiet when the thunderous crackle ceased, and Lee heard the whispers behind him. Even Sith was taken aback.

"That was only the beginning," Lee thought as he gauged the aftereffects of the Skill. There was no pain, burning, or even a tickle from the Source. Only a faint dizziness and headache from bottoming out his Mana… "Good. Give me all the Mana, Three."

Mana flowed into him, and Lee watched his total tick up at barely one percent a second…

Even after losing half of his potential Mana Pool to an 'interested party,' the power of C Rank was on another level. Lee only waited ten seconds before he lifted his hand again and sent death to their enemies. The drain was on par with the influx now, and Lee let it rage through his body, something that had nearly killed him when he did the exact same thing that first time.

His aim was spot on thanks to being able to 'see' his targets and lock onto them with [Mana Mind]. They died by the dozens, then by the hundreds as the beam of pure Mana swept through their lines and left only smoking ruin behind.

Lee could feel their Souls, could feel the fear as they saw death approaching, and then a flash of pain before the lights of their Souls were snuffed out. Those sensations clawed at his mind, and Lee steeled himself against them. "I will not be weak! I will not fail again!"

Many hundreds had fallen, and only a few hundred remained when Lee abruptly canceled the Skill and leaned over to vomit on the floor. "No! I won't be too weak!" Only bile came up, and Lee was glad for that. "It would have been a shame to waste that burrito…" He did wonder just how strong his stomach acid was now. Would it burn a D rank? What about an F Rank? Would they get dissolved…

Lee was stalling… trying to shy away from the reality of the situation… "I will do what it takes! Even if it's terrible…" Lee stood up straight once again. He lifted a trembling hand, his now slightly aching finger pointed back outside… and Bradley gently pushed his arm down.

"I will not let them escape!" Lee growled at the man through his burning throat.

"Understood, Commander! But… Lee," Bradley met his desperate and angry gaze, "you are not alone." Lee could feel Bradley's Soul. The man agreed with what he was doing. "Your forces are standing by and awaiting orders, Commander."

Lee stared at him for a long moment as his breathing slowed and his anger cooled, but it didn't go out. Bradley was right, and it wasn't a weakness to let others do their part. They were all in this together, after all…

Lee pointed outside at the bluehead, this time without the beam of death, "Bradley… General, I want every last one of those monsters to die. No mercy, no surrender, kill them all!"

Bradley saluted, "Yes, Sir!" Then he hesitated with a glance at the lizard.

"Go," Lee ordered, "this one has no power here." And Lee could tell that Sith understood that fact. Between Lee himself, and Three all around them, it was outmatched. Despite the fact that they were both C Rank, it seemed that all were not created equal.

Bradley left, and Lee watched him gather up a small army of humanity before they charged through the gates to finish what Lee had started.

He resisted the urge to pull his attention away once the slaughter began. "I gave the order, and I will not turn away." Most of the people that followed Bradley were much less hesitant, and they cut down the blueheads with gleeful hate. Though, that zeal did start to dim as more and more of the monsters were slain.

Meanwhile, Lee stared at Sith. "What is your answer, Sith? Will you lower yourself and surrender? Or will you and your army die as well?"

The lizard's emotions were chaotic as it met his gaze, and Lee couldn't pick out exactly what it was feeling.

"You fight without honor," it finally said, "killing those beneath you without…"

"No!" Lee yelled, then lowered his voice, "Bradley told me of your so-called honor, and it is the only reason I left your army alive till now. But I do not live by your code, I will destroy anything and everything that threatens me, that threatens my home and the ones I care for! I will protect those who have protected me, and fairness or honor can go to hell!" Lee took a ragged breath. "Those creatures came here to kill and enslave us because I dared to defy their fucked up worldview! So they deserve no honor! You came here to kill us and take what you wanted from our corpses, so why do you deserve honor?"

"I do not agree with that…" Sith said slowly, "but I understand. The powerful can decide what honor is to them. Power gives that freedom. But it is good to have honor, to have a Code that guides you and keeps you from falling to the corruption that comes with power." He stared at Lee with deadly seriousness, and Lee reluctantly nodded. A slight nod to acknowledge what sounded like reasonable advice.

Sith continued after the moment of silence, "I will swear to serve you and not only because you are powerful, but because I think I will not find better, or more glorious, battle upon this world. But I have Terms of my own. Terms that are worth trading my life for if necessary."

Lee bristled but decided to at least hear them out. "What Terms?"

"Firstly, not one of the terms but merely information. I can only swear for myself. The Skirathian outside these walls do not follow me by order but because they choose to. Each of them will have to decide for themselves whether to serve you… and that brings me to my first condition. Many of them will likely refuse you, and I ask that you not simply cut them down."

"I will not allow any to survive unsworn," Lee said and pointed to his collar, "this thing has already drawn more attention than I wanted, and you know that I have Source. Too many out there may know that as well, and I will not allow the risk of more escaping with the knowledge. Too many lives are at stake… including my own. They will…"

"That is not what I ask," Sith interrupted this time, "I only ask that you give them a worthy battle. Let them fight your underlings. I know you have some mighty warriors among your forces, and since they cannot truly die, it is no loss to your power. Plus, I believe that many will submit after testing the true strength of those they would be joining."

Lee was silent as he digested this and finally shook his head. "I can't force my people to battle for something…"

"I'll gladly fight," a voice spoke loudly, and Lee looked over to see Saira grinning at him. "I think I would enjoy the chance to cut loose."

"The Vine Witch would draw many to challenge her! Many more would wish to fight the Ghost or Mistress Death!" It took Lee some time to puzzle out who he was talking about as Sith added another name. "Some may even wish to challenge the Devourer!"

"I will allow them their battle," Lee finally said, "but will not force anyone to partake."

"There is one other term that is non-negotiable," Sith said, "I must be released when and if I reach A Rank, as I am sworn to seek a way home once that happens."

They discussed further as the last of the blueheads were cut down outside. Eventually, Lee agreed with all of Sith's demands, tentatively agreed, and the Skirathian immediately knelt before him. Even kneeling, their former enemy loomed over him, and everyone could feel the thrumming power of Three that was poised around him in warning.

Three was wary of a last-minute attack, and so was Lee, but only a bit, as he didn't truly fear this one. Whether because he could sense its Soul or simply because he knew that it could not actually defeat him.

"I, Sith…" the Skirathian, whom Lee had learned was indeed a male of its species, went through his full name once again, "...Swear Fealty to the Human before me, Lee Cascade. His life before mine, his purpose is my own…"

Lee watched in fascination as the threads of magic and Soul were woven by the words. He had seen this before with the Anubi, but not in the same detail he could now perceive. He saw the strands extending from the Sith's Core, stretching across to his own Core, and then hesitating as if waiting for something.

Then it was Lee's turn.

"I, Lee Cascade, accept your Fealty," as he spoke, strands of Power and Soul extended from Lee's Core and connected to the ones from Sith, "and in return swear to shelter you under my power, to hold your life as precious and to consider your honor in every command I give." The strands of power wove through each other and extended on to connect the two people together and bind them to their words as Lee added the stipulations they had agreed upon, such as releasing Sith once Lee became A Rank. That was the compromise they eventually settled on since it incentivized Sith to ensure that Lee grew in power quickly while also not risking that Sith would race ahead and escape the oath while potentially more powerful than Lee. It also included a non-aggression period after said release.

Though Sith did claim that it was a very distant eventuality, and they could always revise their oaths at a later date if both agreed on it. The Skirathian had warmed up to the whole thing a lot once Lee agreed to consider his 'honor' in the deal. It didn't rule out dishonorable orders completely. Lee refused to bind himself that much. Still, he also would not order the Skirathian, any of them, into unnecessary slaughter of weaker foes. Not unless there was absolutely no other option.

Lee had asked Trak about the collars and whether it allowed such a binding or if it would break the oath. Trak hadn't known all of the specifics, but between what he knew and what Sith had contributed, Lee got enough of a picture.

No one could be forced to swear fealty, even without a collar of freedom protecting their minds. You couldn't put a slave collar on someone and order them to swear. Well, you could, but the words would hold no power. But apparently, it was perfectly fine to threaten someone with death if they refused to swear… so long as they consciously agreed, even if only to spare their life, it would be binding. And the cost of breaking such an oath would almost certainly be death.

It did leave a bit of a bad taste in his mouth, especially after all the events that had led to this, but Lee could live with a bad taste. So long as he lived. Lee tried to comfort himself with the knowledge that he hadn't gone looking for these creatures, hadn't intended any of this. They had brought themselves to his doorstep, had attacked him, and now they had to pay the price.

Once the swearing and binding was complete, Sith's name appeared on Lee's [Minor Lord] Title, and the Skirathian rose to tower above him. "My Lord, I will go to my people and tell them of your Terms."

Lee had him wait a moment, his senses probing at the former [Freedom] collar still around Sith's neck, now defunct after Lee reclaimed the Runes. His own [Absolute Freedom] would change any slave collar into a freedom collar… but could it change a blank collar? If so, it would allow them to manufacture the things and increase the spread.

A bit of mental prodding at his collar yielded results when it suddenly linked to the blank band of metal, and the Runes bloomed once again into existence. Lee could see the traces of his Soul in those Runes but couldn't tell if it came from him or from his collar…

Lee sent Sith to gather the rest of the Skirathian and just stood there after he left, pondering on… things.

His collar could place Runes, basically weaker imitations of itself, and yet Lee could reclaim those Runes back. Did that mean that each of the new Runes was using his Soul and, by extension, using up his Rune Capacity? Lee would also need to have May make some brand new collars just to check if it worked on them or only on the former enslavement one. Lee knew that his collar was called a Growth item. What that meant precisely, he was still unsure, but it had already grown in power since he created it. Ten times more, to be specific. Almost the same as his attributes, in fact.

The real question was if it would keep growing at that exponential rate. It was at a one thousand meter range now, so ten thousand at B rank? One hundred thousand at A? One million at… well, he didn't know what would come after A Rank, but Lee had a feeling that something did. Gods that could reach across the universe to see what they were up to and could give him Buffs and Debuffs from who knows how far away… that had to be more than A Rank.

As for his collar, Lee imagined that it would one day cover the entire world if he was right about its growth, and in that scenario, how much would the linked [Freedom] collars grow? How much of a threat was he to the creatures that wanted to enslave humanity or any other races for that matter? What lengths would they go to? His own class mentioned God's destroying a world to…

"Lee," Alejandro said, and Lee pulled his thoughts from the spiraling doom.

"Are you sure about this?" Alejandro asked, waving towards the approaching army of Skirathian, "a lot of people will not like having to trust their lives to monsters that were trying to kill them only this morning."

"I actually have a solution for that," Lee smiled, "they won't be staying here, at least not for a while. I will give all the ones who swear a collar and then send them out to find, and if possible, to rescue any humans they find. I'm guessing that we aren't just an isolated corner of the world that just so happened to be where all the slavers set up shop. So they will find more, and in time I hope that their actions will change the way people here perceive them."

"Hmm," Alejandro tapped his chin and nodded, "that could work…"

Outside, a makeshift arena was set up for the 'honorable' battles, and word had somehow spread of what was happening. People gathered on the walls to watch, and eventually, the spectators even spilled through the gates as they realized that the threat was over.

To Lee's surprise, every single one of the Skirathian refused to swear fealty. He'd worried that his plans for them were toast, but it turned out that they all just wanted to fight…

Saira, true to her word, did indeed want to fight them. Apparently, being forced to hide away from the battle and ensure a healer was always available had left some resentment. She brutalized the Skirathian five at a time and then ten at once. And they loved it… Somewhere along the way, her Evolutions had shifted away from primarily involving plants, and now she could drain the life directly from her enemies and heal herself or others with said life. Some kind of vampire-plant hybrid… she was terrifying, and the Skirathian loved throwing themselves at her.

Even Bradley started questioning his decision to sideline her during the siege as they watched her battles.

Mar stepped up for the few that wanted rematches with her, and they left the fights unsatisfied but reverential. Those were the most boring fights. Just lizards getting picked apart by an unseen foe as they flailed in increasingly wild attacks that never even came close to touching the small girl.

Maria did similarly, taking them down with a single touch. Only they could see her plain as day and still couldn't touch her. Maria did call out a few specific Skirathian from the army. How she could tell them apart so well, Lee didn't know, and then she executed them with no chance for surrender. An action that somehow earned her no ill will from the rest.

Even Alejandro wasn't sure what that was about but suspected that those ones had attempted to use torture to acquire collars from the Humans…

All in all, it turned into a massive event that brought nearly the entire population out to watch. Food was served, and contests between humans and Skirathian were set up, with Skill Cores from the bluehead army as prizes. More and more human warriors decided to challenge the Skirathian under these less threatening circumstances.

Lee watched over it all from the gatehouse atop the wall.

He had set Three back onto expansion, starting with the walls and, more specifically, the gate. Unfortunately, Three could only claim half of the large wall surrounding the Fort. More Soul was required. At least, that was what Lee suspected was lacking. Three couldn't claim it with only a few Runes like Lee's RuneScape's, but instead wove the same tapestry that filled the apartment building throughout every block of stone that made up the wall. It was a lot, but Lee knew it would be worth it.

Jackson was on bodyguard duty next to Lee after his first fight resulted in him eating half of his opponent and then charging the rest of them. Lee had pulled the Runes from the man's collar to restrain him, and Maria had done the rest. What Lee had felt from the man's Soul in that period was frightening. A remorseless killing machine that felt far more animal than human, and then he got angry…

Lee would have been more leery of the man standing at his side if not for how he responded to Maria. She definitely had a hold on him… a hold in the form of him seeing her as the true apex predator and immediately submitting. He also became very fixated on whatever or whoever was his first target, so if someone did attack Lee, they would find themselves burdened with a very hostile and extremely hard-to-kill problem that would only become someone else's problem after the threat was dead… and probably eaten.

Miller had stood guard duty until he and his team decided to join the fights. Sith immediately volunteered as his replacement, which had not sat well with anyone but Lee and Trak. They both could feel the bond and knew that it was indeed enough to allow trust in Sith. The others did not trust it until…

"I, Maria Morales, Swear Fealty to Lee Cascade…" Lee stared in surprise as she went through the entire spiel that she must have overheard from before. Everyone else who witnessed the event also watched quietly until Maria finished and then made a get-on-with-it gesture at Lee.

"I, Lee Cascade, Accept your Fealty…" Lee watched the binding link them together as he spoke, and then Maria was added to his [Minor Lord] Title.

She stood up, drew a blade from somewhere, and looked between it and Lee. "I can feel it," she said to the observers, "I could attack him if I wished… but if I truly desired him dead… it would kill me."

That seemed to satisfy the others, and Lee opened his mouth, "I, Lee Cascade, Release you from your Oath, Maria Mor…"

"I don't accept," Maria interrupted, surprising everyone again. "You are family, Lee. This does not make me bow to you, only protect you. I will do that anyway for rest of my life. So I keep it and you accept." Lee could only nod his acceptance to the tiny woman. "Good, plus, it gives me Buff."

That was how Lee ended up gaining his very first human… subject? He also learned that the Buff was a ten percent boost to Mana Pool and Mana regen. Not bad… Sith mentioned that his Buff was weaker. Very likely because he was the same rank as Lee. He also said that different people provided different Buffs to their subjects, Lee's effect most likely coming from his prodigious Liquid Mana.

Alejandro, of course, immediately swore fealty himself, followed by Gabriel. Lee didn't like Gabriel doing it and managed to prevent Anita from copying them. "When you're older," Lee told her, even though he'd barely recognized her compared to the toddler he remembered. She looked like she was at least twelve now, instead of two or three… it was… Lee didn't know. On a more positive note, she was clearly D Rank, and not a weak one either. Anita even had to be told, in no uncertain terms, that she was not allowed to fight the Skirathian… because she really wanted to…

After that, Sith stood guard alongside Alejandro and Trak. However, Trak ended up getting handed a Rune disc connected to a few voice amplifier discs, all created by Gabriel, and providing translation for the trash-talking that went on during the fights.

Apparently, the spell that allowed Sith to communicate, and very likely the enchantment on Trak's amulet, was called [Myriad Tongues], a common spell but not one handed out to the Skirathian before they were sent out. Sith had gained it from killing another invader before finding their Fort, and as luck would have it, Bradley found one among the dead blueheads and gave it to Lee. Luckily, it didn't have any requirements to learn… since Lee was no longer Adaptable.

[Myriad Tongues(Initiate I)](Common)

A Common Spell that allows for Communication between the Myriad Races of the Multiverse.

Effects:

Translates All Auditory Communication within(1 Meters) of the User.

Of course, as soon as Lee activated it…

[Myriad Liquid Tongues(Initiate I)](Rare)

A Spell that Allows for Communication between the Myriad Races of the Multiverse.

Effects:

Translates All Auditory Communication within(10 Meters) of the Targeted Location.

A not unexpected occurrence, and a useful one at that. Lee cast it over the arena and, using multiple casts, was able to cover the entire crowd, thereby freeing Trak from announcer duties.

Nearly all of the Skirathian surrendered following their victories or defeats. Though the victories usually led to more challenges, until they inevitably tried to challenge one of the aforementioned top champions of the Fort and then lost.

In the end, Lee accepted Fealty from over three hundred of the aliens. A small number chose to fight to the death, with a few even wishing to challenge Bradley and one challenging Lee.

It fancied itself as the toughest among its peers and insisted that it could handle Lee's Liquid Mana Beam. Even Sith tried to dissuade the moron, but it insisted. Lee waited until it had activated a plethora of defensive abilities and blasted it. It lasted a single second, long enough to be forced back a step by the blast, and then fell to a fist-sized hole through its gut. It wouldn't have been fatal, except that it fell and was almost entirely bisected by the beam…

The rest of them loved it… a bloodthirsty and savage race of creatures. Lee tried not to judge them too much, as this was only a tiny sample of a larger species, and he had learned more from Sith as they watched the fights.

They came from a massive world, one that Sith hadn't been able to explore, obviously, as the monsters on his homeworld were all so far beyond the newly hatched. He had spent his short childhood within a city that stretched to the horizon and beyond. Lee couldn't pinpoint exactly how old Sith was, but he was no more than a teenager from what he could gather. Practically a child… a violent, bloodthirsty, and powerful child.

Lee also discovered why the Skirathian had locked them into the stalemate with the blueheads.

Sith had spotted the bluehead army settling in a good distance from the Fort and assumed they were using a beacon to call for a targeted Invasion on the Fort, another bit of information that Lee had suspected but hadn't confirmed was possible and apparently only something the Civilizations could do. So Sith attacked the Fort. Because the System wouldn't allow an Invasion if the area was already being contested, allegedly. Sith also claimed that there was a hidden recovery timer once hostilities ceased, one long enough to protect them for at least a day.

So in a way, the Skirathian had protected the Fort… but only because they wanted to take it for themselves. Of course, that led to the blueheads attacking in an attempt to prevent the Skirathian victory… or defeat. After watching the fights, Bradley was sure he could have handled the Skirathian if not for the interference from the blueheads.

All in all, it had been a shitshow of a clusterfuck, and now they were one big happy family… almost. The fights went a long way towards easing the hatred, with a big part of that being the ability to communicate with each other. The animalistic snarls of horrifying monsters became trash talk and even compliments on fighting technique… it was almost surprising. If not for the fact that communication was the obvious solution to hostility.

More than a few humans did not accept the new allies, openly hostile and threatening toward the Skirathian. At least until they were challenged to back up their words…

"I am not strong enough to fight monsters like you!" the humans protested.

"So get stronger…" the Skirathian was honestly puzzled by how weak some humans were. A notion that Lee had to agree with and something that would need to be remedied.

One man attempted to stab one of them in the back, and Lee allowed him to be sent into Stasis by the casual retaliation of the Skirathian. It wasn't upset, or even more than scratched, only disappointed by the lack of a real fight… In fact, none of the Skirathian seemed to care that their opponents didn't die even after being defeated. They just wanted to fight…

Lee hoped their attitudes would inspire some of the lazier people in the Fort to step up. Not that he would force everyone to fight, but everyone would be forced to contribute, someway, somehow.

Lee watched over it all and pried every bit of information he could from Sith in the meantime. He enjoyed another burrito once the first hunters returned from the boar Lair and then a few more after that. The whole time, Lee kept up the [Myriad Liquid Tongues] he'd spread around and added another when necessary. The Mana cost to maintain them was negligible, and Lee was already trying to figure out how to convert the spell to Runes and, from there, find a way to include the effect in his collars…

Lee gained some of his own additional hostility through this process, all of it aimed at the System for not simply giving everyone such a basic spell… How much violence might be avoided… obviously not all, considering the blood-drenched killing field in the distance, but it couldn't hurt. Even if only to hear the intelligence that hid behind monstrous and alien faces at the end of their weapons.